The Drain
Master Poster
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2005
- Messages
- 2,555
One media impression coming out of Port-au-Prince that seems a little unfair is that no food/medicine/help is getting through to where it's needed. We are getting help through. In our case it's across the border from DR, and we're also concentrating on about half a dozen centres outside PaP that have not been the focus of media attention.
The other unfair impression (and this is often the case with media coverage of refugees/survivors anywhere in the world) is that the affected people are just sitting around in the sun waiting for help - or, worse, are fighting over a scrap of food - whereas in fact the majority of people will be helping each other build shelters, dig latrines, and keep the children occupied.
In other words, people are taking an active positive hand in their own survival. But a picture of a young man waving a machete is more likely to get airtime than a young man waiting quietly in line for food for his family.
(PS: If I read that Aussie TV story correctly, the channel 7 team put down their camera and rescued the infant; this was filmed by the rival channel 9 crew who then took the child and claimed it as their own rescue...?)
The other unfair impression (and this is often the case with media coverage of refugees/survivors anywhere in the world) is that the affected people are just sitting around in the sun waiting for help - or, worse, are fighting over a scrap of food - whereas in fact the majority of people will be helping each other build shelters, dig latrines, and keep the children occupied.
In other words, people are taking an active positive hand in their own survival. But a picture of a young man waving a machete is more likely to get airtime than a young man waiting quietly in line for food for his family.
(PS: If I read that Aussie TV story correctly, the channel 7 team put down their camera and rescued the infant; this was filmed by the rival channel 9 crew who then took the child and claimed it as their own rescue...?)
